The newest buildings on Microsoft’s main campus reflect the company’s newest businesses and products…
“Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker is in the midst of a massive expansion to its Seattle area campus and has a new strategy for the design of its buildings that reflects the software giant’s changing business…”
Redmond, Wash., — At a dedication ceremony for its new Redmond research facility, company officials said they plan to lease an additional 21 sites in the Puget Sound area, totaling 5.5 million square feet of new space that can house about 19,000 workers.
An earlier plan, unveiled in 2006, called for 3.1 million square feet for 12,000 employees.
Updates to the plan now include an additional 21 leased sites in Bellevue, Wash.; Issaquah, Wash.; Redmond; and Seattle, which will provide a combined total of 5.5 million square feet and the capacity to house approximately 19,000 people based on the current conceptual layout.
That is a big increase from plans announced early last year, when Microsoft said it planned to add 14 new buildings to its Redmond campus, for a total of around 3.1 million square feet. But on Monday, it said “it has doubled its space investments to expand its Redmond campus.”
Microsoft said that “planning is currently under way” for two new buildings at the former Safeco Corp. headquarters it acquired last year and site planning is also going on for new buildings on land it acquired from Nintendo of America earlier this year. Construction start and end dates for those projects have not been set.
Microsoft opened the first of seven new buildings, Microsoft Research headquarters, Building 99, in Redmond on Monday. The rest of West Campus, including a post office, a mini-spa, a bookstore and 12 food venues, and headquarters for the division responsible for the Xbox 360 video game system and the Zune digital media player, is set to open in April 2009. The company is considering opening a bar there, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
“Continuing to build a world-class campus in Redmond is critical to a company like Microsoft that has innovative people as its greatest asset,” said Chris Liddell, chief financial officer at Microsoft and the executive overseeing the expansion. “The physical campus growth the company announced today underlines our investment in Redmond and the greater Puget Sound area and shows our commitment to our future.”
“It is not just Office and Windows anymore,” said Martha Clarkson, a designer on Microsoft’s staff who spearheaded the new direction.
Washington State Gov. Chris Gregoire and Redmond Mayor Rosemarie Ives joined Microsoft executives at Building 99.
“The fact is, Microsoft is and continues to be a mainstay for Washington’s economy,” said Gregoire. “Not only does it create and support thousands of high-wage jobs, but it also generates enduring prosperity. It serves as a magnet for other software and high-tech companies in Washington. And many former Microsoft employees have tapped their wealth and know-how to start new business enterprises and charitable foundations.”
Microsoft has decided to put more thought into the design of its buildings to reflect new businesses, such as the consumer-focused Xbox and Zune groups. It hopes that the added cost required to create the new look, which features open lobbies, colorful carpets and mod furniture, will pay off in productivity gains.
“We used to build generic buildings,” said Chris Owens, general manager for real estate and facilities at Microsoft. Going forward, managers of businesses that will be in the buildings will have a say in the way the interior is laid out in order to support their business objectives, he said.
The new options are the result of a project that Clarkson undertook. She and her colleagues traveled to 26 Microsoft facilities around the globe, interviewing executives and studying the way employees work.
Building 99, the first building created from the ground up to reflect the new design environment at Microsoft, has plenty of space for on-the-fly collaboration. The building, which officially opened Nov. 12, houses Microsoft Research and contains many small meeting rooms with comfortable chairs that workers can relax into and discuss ideas.
“We want serendipitous meetings,” said Kevin Schofield, general manager for Microsoft Research. He wanted an open design that lets people see each other across the building or in another room and allows them opportunities to grab a nearby space to sit down and discuss ideas.
Sliding doors will be one feature that will come standard in all office buildings, as opposed to hinged doors that take up more space. Also, lights in offices will have sensors so they turn on when someone walks into the room and off when the room is empty. All new buildings will also feature under-floor cooling systems, which save energy because they blow cool air from the ground up, rather than forcing cool air from the ceiling through warmer air that naturally rises.
“The company also is working on $35 million in local transportation projects, including a bridge over State Route 520, which runs through the campus.”
Over the next two years, Microsoft will continue plans to dedicate $35 million to significant transportation and infrastructure enhancements in Redmond, including improvements to roads, sewers and an overpass over State Route 520. Planned for completion in the fall of 2009, the overpass will connect the east and west sides of campus, allowing for easier traffic flow on campus and in the surrounding communities.
“Microsoft continues to grow at a healthy pace, and this growth means strengthening our physical infrastructures,” said Brad Smith, senior vice president at Microsoft. “We are committed to doing our part to help improve transportation on State Route 520 with the goal of facilitating an easier commute for all Puget Sound residents.”
The new office design is more expensive than the old way of doing things, said Owens. But when 90 percent of the cost of running a building is paying for the people inside of it, it is easy to pay off investments that drive productivity, he said.
Many of Microsoft’s worldwide employees work in the Puget Sound area. The company employs more than 36,000 in the Puget Sound region and another 46,000 globally.